Just got off the phone with the docs office. Last Friday I had the SF PET Scan and the CT Scan, also had an update PSA test.

The PSA was up a little, last test was 1.2 and this one is 1.3. The really good news is that the Scans show NOTHING AT ALL. Have a meeting with the doc in 3 weeks and he wants me to pull another PSA just before the meeting. He is all about watching the PSA at this point and tracking fluctuations, that works for me.

As long as the PSA is not really going anywhere and there are not mets, I am holding off on any decisions about HT and thankful for it.

Continuing with the good news, my son's college team is going to regionals. The top seeded team in Arkansas is NOT going to host the tourney, the 2nd seed Tampa is. This means a trip of only about 100 miles from home to watch. Sadly, it also means I won't be stopping by Jeff's (Corvetteman) on the trip. After reading about his journey and talking with him on the phone throughout his trip, we were really looking forward to the meeting. Told him my wife and I would just have to make a special trip to Baton Rouge by way of Biloxi (do a little gambling) and meet with him and his wife.

Sonny,Pet scans are worthless. An article on the prostate cancer infor link said they should only be given as part of a clinical trial and only if it is provided free of charge. The Ct scan won't show anything until your psa gets over 40 and generally in the 100's. Rising psa is much more reliable than any scan at this point and are a waste of your money.JohnT

64 years old.

PSA rising for 10 years to 40, free psa 10-15. Had 5 urologists, 12 biopsies and MRIS all neg. Doctors DXed BPH and continue to get biopsies yearly. 13th biopsy positive in 10-08, 2 cores of 25, G6 less than 5%. Scheduled for surgery as recommended by Urological Oncologist.

Combidex MRI in Holland eliminated lymphnode mets. Casodex and Proscar reduced psa to 0.6 and prostate from 60mm to 32mm. Changed diet, no meat and dairy. All staging tests indicate that tumor is local and non agressive. (PAP, PCA3, MRIS, Color Doppler, Combidex, tumor reaction to diet and Casodex, and tumor location in transition zone). Surgery a poor option because tumor is located next to the urethea and positive margin is very likely; permanent incontenance is also high probability with surgery.

Seed implants on 5-19-09, 3 hours door to door, no pain, minor side affects are frequency and urgency; very controlable with Flowmax and lasted 4 weeks. Daily activities resumed day after implants with no restrictions. Gold markers implanted with seeds to guide IMRT.

25 treatments of IMRT 6 weeks after seed implants. No side affects at all.

PSA at end of treatment 0.02 mostly the result of Casodex. When I stop Casodex next week expect PSA to rise. Next PSA in November. Treatments and side affects have greatly exceeded my expectations. Glad to have this 11 year journey finally conclude.

John, I appreciate your position and realize that you have spent considerably more time studying PCa related medical issues than I.

I too did my homework on SF PET Scan before I agreed to it. I found many articles and studies that indicate that there is a place for SF PET Scan in detecting mets. While it may not be significantly superior to nuclear bone scans, it is readily accepted that the results of the SF Scan provide greater detail and superior readability when looking at the most minute details.

I only offer this for discussion to provide additional detail to others that may come this way to figure out what their doctor is ordering and why.

Admittedly I am a relative newbie to all of this. This is not meant as a contradiction to your viewpoint but rather additional information. As you and others have pointed out so very often, PCa is an absolute crap-shoot. Not everyone responds to the same treatments the same way, even with the same doctor (case in point me and Mel) and the most seemingly benign cancers can turned to the most aggressive in a heart beat.

That is what I truly love about HW, we all come here looking for answers, we all go off and study on our own and many times find different solutions. But beyond that we are all willing to share information and support the brothers we make here in our common battle against a really messed up disease.

Thank you for your input. I will certainly find and read the article you mentioned for my own education.

Hey Sonny, glad to hear from you, although not about the slight PSA rise --- but, as David says, it's still not a bad number.

On the HT, I know it has some nasty side effects for some people, but my dad was on it for probably 15 years without any major issues. Long enough to let his heart do him in, not the PCa. Cheery thought, what?

Best to Lynn. I've got the RCMP on standby to welcome your rig to Canada. Roll the wagons!

I admit that I am saddened that the changes in our travel plans are going to postpone my getting a chance to meet with Jeff. He is one of many of the brothers I have met here that I plan to try and see personally before Lynn and I find that traveling is becoming too hard for us. We plan to do a lot of it this year and I have begun to compile a map of brother locations so that I can stop by and say howdy when our travels brings us close by.

We have started planning a north bound trip for this year that will bring us near you and look forward to having dinner with you and Peggy again.